The present invention relates to an apparatus for the destructive testing of sheet material and more particularly relates to apparatus for determining the strength of glass, particularly heavy glass, i.e., glass intended for architectural applications normally having a thickness of at least 0.125 inch and generally 0.250 inch and above.
It is important that the architect and engineer have at their disposal accurate information as to the strength of glazing materials, for example, an indication or measure of the wind load strength of the material in a desired range of thicknesses. The ability of glass to meet strength specifications is determined, in accordance with one procedure, by selecting samples and ascertaining the load required to break the sheet. Heretofore, this has been accomplished by selecting samples after the glass has been put in storage, and placing these samples in a testing apparatus located near the storage area but remote from the end of the manufacturing line, i.e., the capping area.
Since the testing facility is remote from the capping area and the glass is selected from storage, there is generally a considerable period between the time the glass is made and the time it is tested. Consequently, it has not been unusual to lose as much as one or two days of glass production due to the delay in discovering that the glass does not satisfy code requirements.